After that, Ling Jingshu never said a word again.

When the morning greetings were over, everyone went back to their own room. Only Madam Ling led the two brothers and stayed to talk with Old Lady Ling.

Ling Jingshu took Ling Xiao and went to Hexiang Pavillion together.

When Yao Shi was still alive, Ling Jingshu and Ling Xiao lived with Madam Yao in Hexiang Pavilion. Naturally, she was very familiar with this place. After Yao died of illness, Hexiang Pavilion soon ushered in a new hostess.

Madam Li moved in, and it would be inconvenient for Ling Jingshu and her brother to live in Hexiang Pavilion, so they moved to Qiushui Pavilion together. Later, Ling Xiao was accidentally blinded, and Old Lady Ling took pity on her and let Ling Xiao live in Yonghe Hall to take care of him personally.

When Ling Jingshu went to Yonghe Hall to greet Old Lady Ling every day, she also greeted Madam Li by the way. However, fewer and fewer people come to Hexiang Pavilion.

After rebirth, Ling Jingshu set foot here for the first time.

Li’s superficial skills have always been thorough, not to mention Fifth Master Ling was here today, so she held Ling Jingshu’s hand to show her care, with a loving mother’s posture: “… these days, I have been thinking about your body, I can’t eat well and I can’t sleep well. Now you are finally fully recovered, and I can finally feel at ease…”

Looking at Madam Li who was pretending to care for her, Ling Jingshu felt an indescribable disgust in her heart.

Ling Jingshu suddenly lost the patience to pretend. She withdrew her hand, and responded with a half-smile: “I am not a child anymore, I can take care of myself, so I don’t need to bother my Mother.”

Madam Li: “… ….”

Madam Li originally wanted to be cute in front of Fifth Master Ling, but she never expected to be pushed back so forcefully by Ling Jingshu. Having lost her face, she turned red and then white, white and then red again.

Ling Ting looked at this scene with a delicate expression.

Fifth Master Ling also raised his eyebrows in surprise but didn’t say anything.

Ling Yu, who was only six years old, didn’t understand what happened for a while, but felt that it was strange that everyone didn’t speak: “Mother, why did you suddenly stop talking?”

Madam Li forcefully forced a smile: “It’s nothing.” She looked at Fifth Master Ling as if nothing had happened, and said with a smile: “It’s rare that the master is in the mansion today, and the whole family is gathered in Hexiang Pavilion. I will go to the kitchen and give orders. Let the kitchen prepare some good wine and food.”

Ling Fifth Master hummed.

For small things like ordering the kitchen, Madam Li didn’t need to go out in person, just give an order to the maid to run errands.

Li’s being so warm was because she was showing her virtuousness in front of her husband, and secondly, because she was choking on Ling Jingshu enough, so she avoided her first to calm her mind.

Having been a virtuous and generous stepmother for so many years, she must never show her true face in front of her husband.

The smiling face that Madam Li was holding onto, disappeared without a trace when no one could see it when she left the main hall, and her face became gloomy. A startling chill flashed in her eyes.

…

“Ah Shu, come here.” Fifth Master Ling frowned and ordered in a deep voice.

Ling Jingshu walked forward calmly.

Without thinking too much, you can guess what Fifth Master Ling will say next. It’s nothing more than something like “a woman should be submissive and chaste and not disobedient to her elders”. She has heard these words many times since she was a child… “Girls should be submissive and chaste, and they should not speak rudely to contradict their elders, let alone be disobedient and unfilial.” Fifth Master Ling reprimanded with an unhappy face: ” You have always been sensible and obedient, why did you speak to your Mother in that tone just now?”

Supple and chaste, sensible and obedient!

It was these eight words that ruined her for the rest of her life. Now that she was lucky enough to be reborn, how could she be as submissive as she was in her previous life?

“Since my mother passed, I moved to Qiushui Pavilion. At that time, I was only six years old.”

Ling Jingshu raised her eyes and looked straight at Fifth Master Ling, with a calm and indifferent expression: “In the past eight years, I am fortunate to have my grandmother taking care of me. It’s just that my grandmother has to worry about all the trivial matters in the house, and has no time to ask me about everything. Most of the time I take care of it by myself. Father, what is wrong with what I just said?”

Fifth Master Ling never expected that Ling Jingshu would contradict him, and her attitude was still so tough, so his anger suddenly surged up: “Ling Jingshu! Where have you learned all the female precepts? Is that how you talk to your parents?”

Fifth Master Ling was thirty-two years old this year. He looked handsome and had an extraordinary bearing. It was rare to be so angry as he was at this moment.

When Fifth Master Ling got angry, everyone was shocked.

Ling Ting didn’t say a word, and Ling Yu, the youngest, was too frightened to speak.

Ling Xiao’s pretty face turned pale, followed the voice a few steps forward, and hurriedly grabbed Ling Jingshu’s arm: “Ah Shu, what’s wrong with you, how can you contradict Father? Hurry up and apologize to Father! “

At this time, filial piety was the most important thing. It was not an exaggeration to say that the word filial piety was worth more than a thousand pieces of gold.

It would not be a good thing for Ling Jingshu if she got a reputation for disobedience and unfilial piety.

When Ling Xiao was in a hurry, he inevitably used more strength.

Ling Jingshu glanced at Ling Xiao soothingly, thinking that Ling Xiao couldn’t see, she softened her voice again: “Ah Xiao, I’m not contradicting my father. I’m just explaining the facts to my Father. Our Father has always loved us and is the most reasonable. He won’t blame me.” 

Putting on the two tall hats on Fifth Master Ling, sure enough, his anger faded a little.

Ling Jingshu coaxed Ling Xiao and then turned to look at Fifth Master Ling. The calm and indifferent expression on her face was replaced by a sincere expression: “Father, this daughter has been sick in bed these days, and my Mother had also visited. As a stepmother, this daughter is already very grateful for the care she has shown. What the daughter said to Mother just now did not mean to be sarcastic.”

Hearing these words, Fifth Master Ling felt uncomfortable.

Ling Jingshu had been ill for so many days, and even Madam Li visited her once, but her biological father had never set foot in the Qiushui Pavilion…

Once a person feels guilty, he will not have the confidence to speak. Fifth Master Ling’s tone softened: “Forget it this time. Just pay attention to your attitude when you speak in the future.”

Ling Jingshu lowered her eyes slightly, and responded softly: “This daughter will follow my Father’s teaching.”

The tone was still soft and respectful, and it was the same as before.

The sharp and indifferent Ling Jingshu just now seemed to be just everyone’s illusion.

Fifth Master Ling was so angry that he couldn’t help asking a few questions with concern.

Ling Jingshu answered one by one but sneered in her heart.

When their mother, Madam Yao was alive, Fifth Master Ling and Madam Yao had a fairly harmonious relationship, and they loved their two children. It was a pity that Yao’s life was unlucky, and she left the two siblings and died early.

After Madam Li passed the door, she quickly won Fifth Master Ling’s heart. Ling Jingshu’s siblings moved out of Hexiang Pavilion, and the chances of getting in touch with Fifth Master Ling on normal days dwindled. After Ling Yu was born, most of Fifth Master Ling’s attention was on Ling Yu, and he paid less and less attention to Ling Jingshu’s siblings.

If Ling Jingshu hadn’t tried her best to please the old lady Ling and won the old lady’s special respect and favor, the two siblings would not be in the current situation.

In Fifth Master Ling’s heart, future and face were the most important things. Back then, the Lu family put her under house arrest in the mansion. In order to silence Fifth Master Ling, they especially sought the position of Zhengzhou General Judge for Fifth Master Ling. Fifth Master Ling weighed it, then accepted the “good intentions” of the Lu family, and happily led his wife and children to the post.

He completely ignored his daughter who had been humiliated in the Lu family.

What a pity to have such a father!

…

Thinking about the past, the resentment in Ling Jingshu’s heart surged endlessly.

However, now was definitely not the time to tear their face apart. If she wanted to deal with Madam Li, she must start with Fifth Master Ling. Even for the sake of Ling Xiao, she had to force herself to bear it for now.

“Ah Xiao and I came here on purpose today because we wanted to ask my Father for something important.” Ling Jingshu started the conversation, but stopped: “Ah Xiao, you can talk to our father yourself!”

Ling Xiao gathered himself together and mustered up his courage to open his mouth: “Father, I just stay in the mansion all day with nothing to do, wasting my time, and I feel really ashamed. I want to continue studying!”

Fifth Master Ling was a little surprised, and subconsciously replied: “Your eyes can’t see, how can you still study?”

The disapproval in his tone made Ling Xiao, who was already nervous, feel cold, and the smile froze on his face. The next words stuck in his throat.

“He can’t see, but he still has ears to hear.” Ling Jingshu quickly took over the conversation: “There is a literate boy beside Ah Xiao, who often reads to Ah Xiao on normal days. It’s just that the boy has limited knowledge and can only read. But he doesn’t understand what it means. If you can pick someone who is literate and smart, he can take Ah Xiao’s place every day to study at home, and after understanding what is being taught, he can come back and tell Ah Xiao to listen to it again. With Ah Xiao’s intelligence, it will definitely be of great benefit.”

The Ling family’s family school was quite famous in Dingzhou, and most of the lecturers in the family school were well-educated Confucians hired with a lot of money. The children and grandchildren of the Ling family clan all studied in the family school, and some in-laws and distant relatives came to the family school by begging around.

It was not difficult for Fifth Master Ling to arrange for a young man to study at home.

Fifth Master Ling thought for a while before agreeing: “It’s a good thing that Ah Xiao wants to study. Even if you can’t get fame in the future, it will always be beneficial to study more. I will send someone to tell you later that you will pick a boy to go tomorrow to the family school.” 

He didn’t expect this matter to be resolved so easily.

Ling Xiao was overjoyed, and quickly thanked: “Thank you, father.”

Seeing Ling Xiao so happy, Ling Jingshu also felt relieved.

Fifth Master Ling praised Ling Xiao in a few words and then looked at Ling Ting: “Ah Ting, you will take part in the Tongsheng examination^[1]Entry-level examinations this year. You need to work hard these days. Look at Lu Hong, who is only one year older than you and has already passed the county exam. You can get a reputation as a scholar after taking the government examination. You have to work harder.”

Ling Ting respectfully agreed.

Ling Yu was only six years old, and he only started reading last year. Fifth Master Ling naturally wouldn’t reprimand him, he just tried a few words. Madam Li went to the kitchen and turned back quickly. Just happened to meet Fifth Master Ling testing Ling Yu.

Ling Yu answered in a good manner, and Fifth Master Ling was quite satisfied.

Madam Li also felt that her face was bright, and the depression and unhappiness in her heart were swept away immediately, and she was secretly satisfied.

Ling Ting was just a bastard, and Ling Xiao had become blind and has become a useless person. Won’t the Fifth Household have to rely on Ling Yu to support them in the future?